I’ve been itching to read this since I finished The Martian, and my expectations did not let me down. I was so surprised by the unexpected event that occurs partway through the book – not a twist, but not something I was expecting, and it was so exciting! I’m trying to avoid spoilers, as you can see.
The book starts with Ryland Grace waking up with amnesia from a coma and discovering that he is on a spaceship and that that spaceship is not in the earth’s solar system. The two crewmates who were with him didn’t survive the trip, and Ryland has to figure out where he is and why, as his memories slowly return. They return via flashbacks to his time on earth.
It’s hard to avoid comparisons with The Martian because both books involve a male scientist who is all alone and struggling to solve at times seemingly unsolvable problems. I thought the character of Ryland was more fleshed-out and three dimensional than Mark Watney’s character in The Martian. He’s not as funny as Mark but seems more three-dimensional. This is probably in part because the story is told through standard first person narration, versus the logs that Mark was writing. I also loved the character of Rocky and the interactions and relationship that develops between Ryland and Rocky.
As with The Martian, a lot of the science went over my head. I was generally okay with this, although it meant a little skimming here and there. However, I also don’t really care how accurate the science is. There are definitely parts of the novel that stretch verisimilitude and perhaps a plot hole or inconsistency here and there, but I was happy to go along for the ride. I was also pleased at how well the book stuck the landing, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Weir’s other books.
cbr15bingo Take the Skies